Improved feathering paddle-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

WILLIAM It. MANLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED FEATHERING PADDLE-WHEEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,697, dated June 24, 1352.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. MANLEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, havein'vented a new and useful Improvement in Feathering Paddle-Whcels for the Propulsion of Boats and Vessels and for Manufacturing Purposes, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention is an improvement on. wheels the buckets of which are feathered upon the lplan patented in England inthe year 1813, by

one Robert Buchanan; and it consists of an arrangement the object of which is to distribute upon the frame of the wheel the force caused by the resistance the water offers to the passage of the bucket through it, so as to prevent torsion.

l is theinboard bucket-flange. 2 is the out-` board bucket-flange. 3 is the feathering-iian ge. 4 is a bucket; 5, axle of the bucket;` 6, arm or crank; 7, bearing of the feathering-ilange; 8, bearing of the main shaft.

Both ends of the axle 5 are formed into j ournals, one of which rests in a journalbox in the inboard bucket-Hange, and the other rests in a journal-box in the outboard bucket-ange. The arm or crank 6 is rmly xed to the outer end of the axle 5, (and at a right angle with it,) and is connected with the featheringiange by a journal turned off at a right angle and resting inA a journal -box'in the featheringflange. The feathering-iiange is supported by a strong journal, the axis of which is above the horizontal plane of the axis of the main shaft. The length of the arm or crank 6 is equal to the distance the journal of the feathering-flange is above the main shaft. The buckets are placed upon the axles so that the horizontal center of a bucket is above its axle.

The wheel is to be put on the boat or vessel so that when one bucket is directly under the center of the main shaft there will be three buckets fully immersed.

By reference to Fig. l it will be observed that vthe motion of a bucket in entering the water is rapidly downward and less rapidly backward, and that after it is fully immersed it is rapidly backward and less rapidly downward. The motion of the wheel should be so graduated to the motion of the boat or vessel that the buckets are brought to full immersion in a passive state, so far as propelling or retarding is concerned. Many wheels have been constructed on this general plan, and all have been so subject to torsion and the evils which arise from its effects that they have not been used successfully. My invention perfectly prevents this torsion, and supplies the defect which has prevented wheels of this kind from being excellent means of propulsion.

The invention consists in placing the bucket upon its axle so that its horizontal center is above the horizontal center of its axisa certain distance, and then making the arm or crank 6 of such length that the center of the journal-bearing in the outboard bucket-ange and the center of the journal-bearing in the feathering-iiange are equidistant (on a line drawn from one center to the other center) from a straight line projected indefinitely from the center of the journalabearing in the inboard bucket-flange through the center of the bucket. i

The above is a description of my invention as applied to wheels constructed with the axis of the featheringflange placed above the axis of the main shaft. It is equally effective applied to wheels made with the axis of the featheringange placed below the axis of the main shaft, or to wheels made with the axis of the feathering-ange and the axis of the main shaft on the same horizontal plane. The object and effect of this arrangement are to cause the inboard biicket-iiange to sustain one-half or more of the whole force of resistance, and the outboard bucket-fiange and the featheringflange to bear the remaining force equally. That this effect is produced by this arrangement I will show by reference to Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 represents a bucket with its axle and arm or crank 6 constructed according to my plan. The lines and points indicated upon it are for the purpose of explanation, and for the purpose of explanation I shall suppose the bucket supported at various points and a force operating upon it, the effect of which is exactly like the effect of the resistance it meets with when in action in the wheel.

F F is the face of the bucket. The line D D is the horizontal center of the bucket; B B, a line dividing the bucket equally and passing through the points b a g df,- A A, axis of the axle; a, centervof the bucket; b, center ofthe Journal resting in the inboard bucket-ange; e, Center of the journal resting in the feathering-ange; 0, center of the journal resting in the outboard' bucket-flange. lThe bucket supported at the points b and g, the force is balanced on the line B B and on the supports at b and g. Supported at the points b and d, the force is stili balanced on the line B B, but the support at the point b bears more ofthe force Now I have described generally` the Wheel upon which I have improved, pointed out and described my invention, explained its object and effect, and have clearly explained its operation.

I do not claim'the manner of feathering the buckets.

I do not claim placing the buckets on their axles so that their centers are above their axles. l

I do claim as my invention- Making the length of the arm or crank 6 so proportionate to the distance which the horizontal center of the axle is from the horizontal center of the bucket that the center of the journal-bearing in the outboard bucket- VHarige and the center of the journal-bearing in the feathering-ilange are equidistant from a straight line projected indefinitely from the center of the journatbearing in the inboard bucketflanfre through the center of the bucket, as has been described, and asis represented in Fig. 3.

VVILLAM R. MANLEY.

/Vitnesses:

I. I. RoWAN, `Env/:tran Gozznivs. 

